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Are You An Exuberant Animal?
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Dear Friends of Balancing Act,
No offense to chiropractors, but the last place I expected to hear about exuberance was on a table in my favorite practitioner's office. At the last visit to cure computer over-use, she suggested not just better posture but becoming an Exuberant Animal.
What?!! She wasn't kidding. According to her and a former Marine drill sergeant called The Barefoot Sensei, that's the ticket to more fun and better health. (I tried it, and have to admit it's fun.)
But the exercise possibilities don't end there. A friend who works for Nike put me on to a free app that will have you stop everything and sail the Caribbean or go climb Mount Everest in bite-size chunks.
And speaking of which, bite-size might be the way to get to your goals if you try a low-failure Japanese technique called Kaizen.
But if all this exercising and goal-setting don't appeal to you, sit a spell and read an inspiring story about nine women in Tennessee, who have found happiness in a sweet way we could all try: delivering poundcakes. Just for fun, I've coupled it with a quick message from my all-time favorite comedienne, Jeanne Roberts, that explains this sweet southern tradition.
Exuberantly yours,
Pat
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Be An Exuberant Animal
 No more fancy gym shoes. No more fancy moves. According to Frank Forencich, who leads a holistic exercise training program called Exuberant Animal, we're better off getting back to our primate basics. Exercising barefoot, swinging our arms like our primal ancestors, and doing what comes naturally in the natural world is the best approach, he says.
He's even worked with a group of "exuberant animal trainers" to spread the word. For a sneak peak at an outdoor Exuberant Animal experience with one of the trainers, stand up, kick off your shoes and click here. For an explanation of why all this works, check out the Exuberant Animal website. |
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Or Sail the Caribbean During Lunch
 There's an app for everything, and now that includes a little cheerleading from your friends for random exercise adventures.
A new iPhone/iPad app called "Teemo" takes you on the travel adventure of your choice, where it challenges you to do mini-workouts and allows you to invite FB friends to do them with you.
Rather than encouraging competition, it's aimed at social connection among friends exercising together, but not actually together - just using the same app and pretending to be in exotic places.
As one reviewer points out, it's cheaper than a gym membership, especially right now. Since it's been out just a little over a week, it's available as a promotion for free.
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The Japanese Art of Kaizen
Goals seem overwhelming to complete? The Japanese art of Kaizen  may offer just the answer.
Based on the notion that a "journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step," Kaizen teaches the wisdom of breaking those overwhelming tasks down into manageable pieces that are not so frightening.
A guide to the art of Kaizen (and maybe the first step toward trying it) is One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way by Dr. Robert Maurer, a psychologist at UCLA Medical School.
Copyright 2012 Pat Snyder
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Sweet Tale
of
Generosity
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Most of us have experienced the occasional boost that comes from baking something and taking it to someone in need.
But this story of nine women in Tennessee who spent three decades secretly bringing joy with pound cakes is too good not to share.
To get the full story of the southern pound cake tradition, and an extra smile, listen here (y'all) as Jeanne Roberts tells how she sent husband, aka Left Brain, to the store for her ingredients.
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LEASH LAW
NO. 42:
Where To Find Doilies
The doilies that go under the store-bought goodies that clever women take to bake sales are made of paper, and grocery stores like to display them in unlikely areas, sometimes hanging from clips in the Chinese food section, sometimes by the dog food. As soon as there's a doily sighting, the trick is to grab a large quantity in several sizes. That way, no midnight runs to the mini-mart, which doesn't carry them anyway.
This is one of 74 leash laws offered in Pat's book, The Dog Ate My Planner: Tales and Tips from an Overbooked Life.
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